Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Botswana

The Mokolodi Nature Reserve offers a wondrous excursion for families and foreign tourists visiting Botswana. Accessible by road about 15 km from the city, Mokolodi is considered to be an ideal place to see and interact with the wildlife of the region in a short time span. After all, the Nature Reserve gives the “feel” of a safari, without having to visit a national park or game reserve.

Mokolodi Nature Reserve, ever since it was set up in the early 90s, has been a boon to the animal kingdom. A private park, the reserve is managed by the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation, which is involved in rehabilitating endangered to near-extinct animals before setting them back into the wild. One of their greatest achievements has been the reintroduction of the White Rhino in the Okavango region in northern Botswana. At present, it has a large number of animal species, including the water buck, hyena, zebra, leopard, giraffe, and cheetah. The reserve also has a reptile park for conserving snakes and other reptiles, and a clinic to treat all wounded and ailing animals and birds. Owing to a number of educational programs run by various trusts and donations, the reserve provides children and adults an opportunity to know more about the animals in it, their habits and habitat.

In addition to the natural attractions, the Mokolodi Nature Reserve has several facilities on offer for vacationers. It has rest camps and chalets, a restaurant serving authentic food from the region, a curio-shop and tea garden, and a conference center for business functions and events. Tourists can either take a day trip to this Botswana Nature Reserve, or stay in the camp or chalet for a few days enjoying the beauteous natural environment. Your Mokolodi Nature Reserve tour will, although, be incomplete without participating in some of the activities organized by the administration. This includes rhino tracking, giraffe tracking, guided drives around the reserve, guided night drives, and visiting the reptile park and sanctuary. Foreign tourists can also enjoy the local cuisine and traditional dance performances organized inside the Nature Reserve.

Travel Tips:

The Mokolodi Nature Reserve is a great site for capturing photographs of animals up-close in their natural environment.

Make your reservations to stay in advance, as the Nature Reserve has a limited number of accommodations.

Where is Mokolodi Nature Reserve?

The Mokolodi Nature Reserve is located about 15 km in the south of Gaborone, Botswana’s capital city. It can be easily accessed from the city by a car. Buses also ply between Gaborone and Lobatse. The Mokolodi entrance is about 1.5 km from Lobatse.Address: Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Gaborone, Botswana

Facts about Mokolodi Nature Reserve

The Mokolodi ‘Nature Reserve’ was established in 1994, by the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation, an international nonprofit organization.

It was originally a cattle ranch with seven employed workers. At present, it is a 3000-hectare conservation area, saving animals, teaching humans about the environment, employing more than 70 professionals and also successfully running a volunteer program.

Under environmental education, the Botswana Government has made visiting the Nature Reserve mandatory for school children.

About 60,000 people visit the nature reserve each year.

The nature reserve is maintained with the money earned from visitations, private events, activities, and donations. One of the most important donors is United Kingdom’s Tusk Trust. They are mostly involved in financing the educational projects in the reserve. Princes William and Prince Harry are Tusk Trust patrons.

Best Time to Visit

The Mokolodi Nature Reserve can be visited anytime of the year, except during the rainy season, between December and March.

Mokolodi Nature Reserve Hours

The visiting hours of the Mokolodi Nature Reserve are different for summer and winter. During the summer season, the reserve opens at 7 AM and closes at 7 PM. During winter, its opening time is 7:30 AM and closing time is 6:30 PM. Visitors are advised to check with the authorities before starting their journey.

Mokolodi Nature Reserve Prices

Owing to its focus on education, the Mokolodi Nature Reserve’s ticket pricing is different from other reserves and national parks. It hosts and organizes a large number of wilderness activities for both kids and adults, like giraffe and rhino tracking, game drives, night tours, reptile studies, and even brunches and barbeques. The venue is also given for hire for private parties and conferences. There are chalets and rest camps that families and small groups can book. Each of these is priced according to various parameters, like number of visitors, duration of stay, and nature of the tour. The reserve recommends that visitors give a written application mentioning everything-from activity to food they wish to enjoy during their stay, for a consolidated price quotation.

Park entry fee is 150/- Pula per person per day.

Certain packages are available for consideration, like World’s View (250/- Pula per person, for maximum 100 people), and Boma (250/- Pula per person, for maximum 50 people).

Charges for different activities are as follows:

Game drive: 150/- Pula for adults, 75/- Pula for children

Night drive: 250/- Pula for adults, 125/- Pula for children

Reptile Park or Sanctuary visit: 25/- Pula for adults, 10/- Pula for children

Rhino tracking (age limit is 16 years): 590/- Pula

Giraffe tracking (age limit is 16 years): 490/- Pula

InformationWhich are the places of interest around the Mokolodi Nature Reserve?
Gaborone Game Reserve, Gaborone Dam, Kgale Hill, ISKCON Gaborone, Khwai River Bridge, Three Chiefs Statue, and National Museum and Art Gallery, Gaborone.

What are the coordinates of the Mokolodi Nature Reserve?
24°44’20.81 S, 25°48’56.79 E